A crooked businessman claimed the dole and posed as a bankrupt while living the high life in his country mansion.

Shipbroker Roderick Chaffin-Laird lived a double life, cheating creditors out of thousands of pounds pretending to be broke.

His lies caught up with him on Friday when the millionaire was jailed for 18 months on forgery and perjury charges.

Chaffin-Laird, 58, banked at Harrods, owned a huge house near Horsham and paid for his daughters to attend private school.

But he claimed voluntary bankruptcy as a sham to keep his lucrative assets secure and accepted unemployment benefit to give the impression he had no money.

He took out a £20,000 loan with Jersey-based firm Difex and committed fraud to keep them at bay.

He claimed he needed the cash to pay his two daughters' school fees at Roedean School, Brighton.

Investigators from the Department of Trade and Industry believe the money was needed as a bridging loan when he moved from Tongdean Avenue, Hove, to his mansion at Monk's Gate near Horsham.

Chaffin-Laird was found guilty of three charges of perjury and four offences of forgery at a trial last year.

He has now pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice that involved the obtaining of his bankruptcy agreement.

Jailing him, Judge Christopher Hordern told Chaffin-Laird: "These were matters that involved extremely deliberate and devious dishonesty. It is apparent that for whatever reason, you have been living a lie for a number of years."

The judge ordered Chaffin-Laird to pay £5,000 compensation to Difex for its costs in years of litigation and £50,000 towards the DTI's costs.

The judge said: "It appears to me he has gone to very considerable trouble over many years to conceal his true financial position from anybody who wished to know.

"I strongly suspect - indeed I believe it to be the case - that what he has actually done with friends and business acquaintances is to put money abroad and manufacture agreements that he owes that money to others."

Richard Wormold, defending, said Chaffin-Laird made his fortune in the City in reinsurance before launching an "extremely successful" career in America.

On his return to the UK, he invested heavily in the property boom but was caught out when property prices plummeted.

Mr Wormold said: "He lost a fortune, quite literally. Although he enjoyed the trappings of a wealthy lifestyle - his daughters went to public school, he had a large house and an extensive circle of friends - he was broke."

He said Chaffin-Laird sought a voluntary agreement in bankruptcy as he and his empire were being "sued left, right and centre".

Despite owing millions, the agreement allowed Chaffin-Laird to remain a company director and prevented his disqualification from the Baltic Exchange.

Mr Wormold said: "This is not a man who squirrels money away or commits fraud to live the high life.

"The desperation to keep up appearances and to keep hold of a lifestyle to which he had grown accustomed is different from a cynical manipulation of the process."

Chaffin-Laird was sentenced to 18 months after being found guilty of three charges of perjury and four of forgery.

He was a given a consecutive 12-month jail term after admitting perverting the course of justice.